22 CROCODILES, 



alligators. In all these the length of the snout does not exceed one and a halt' 

 times its basal width ; the bony union between the two branches of the lower jaw 

 does not extend behind the level of the fourth or fifth tooth; while on the palate 

 the line of union between the anterior and main jawbones (premaxilke and 

 maxillae) extends nearly straight across the skull, as shown in the figure on p. 2. 

 The Indian crocodile has no bony ridges on the snout, while there are usually four 

 longitudinal rows of bony plates on the back, and there are five teeth in each 

 anterior upper jawbone or premaxilla. An allied species (G. robustus) from the 

 interior of Madagascar, differs by having six longitudinal rows of plates on the 

 back ; while the Cuban crocodile (0. rhombifer), of Central America, and a nearly 

 related species (G. wioreleti), from Guatemala, are distinguished by having a more 

 or less distinct oblique ridge in front of the eye. 



The habitat of the Indian crocodile includes India, Ceylon, Burma, and the 

 Malay Peninsula and Islands ; its most westerly range being Sind and Baluchistan. 

 Inhabiting rivers, lakes, and marshes, it appears to be an exclusively fresh-water 

 species, never venturing into estuaries. As to the dimensions attained by this 

 species there is some uncertainty, although it is probable that at the present day 

 specimens seldom grow to the size that was reached before firearms were common. 

 Nowadays from 12 to 14 feet appears to be a large size for this species, but a 

 length of 18 feet has been recorded, while skulls in the Calcutta Museum would 

 seem to indicate still larger individuals. A nearly allied extinct species has left 

 its remains in the Siwalik Hills of Northern India. Swarming in most of the rivers 

 and marshes of India, except where the current is too swift, the Indian crocodile 

 is stated to be less ferocious than the species next mentioned, generally preying 

 on the smaller animals, and not unfrequently dragging down a wounded or dead 

 bird before the eyes of the gunner. When the waters they frequent become dried 

 up, these crocodiles will either travel across country by night to another lake or 

 river, or bury themselves in the mud. 



Estuarine Resembling its compatriot in its pale olive colour, conspicuously 



crocodile, spotted with black, the estuarine crocodile (C. porosus), of India and 

 other regions, may be at once distinguished by its longer and more slender snout, 

 as well as by the presence of only four teeth in each anterior jawbone or pre- 

 maxilla of the adult. It belongs, indeed, to a group of four species, differing from 

 the preceding assemblage in the length of the snout varying from rather more 

 than one and a half to just over twice its basal width ; and also by the line of 

 union between the anterior and main jawbones running in a V shape up the 

 palate. The presence of a large ridge running down the skull in front of the 

 eye serves to distinguish this species not only from all the other members of the 

 group, but likewise from the Indian crocodile. The present species generally, if 

 not invariably, inhabits the tidal portions of rivers, from whence it descends into 

 the sea, where it has been observed floating at considerable distances from land. 

 These estuarine and partially marine habits will readily account for the wide 

 geographical distribution of this crocodile, which ranges from India to Australia. 

 Unknown on the western coast of India, the estuarine crocodile is abundant in the 

 lower courses of the rivers of Bengal and other parts of the eastern side of India, 

 as well as in Ceylon and Burma, whence it extends eastwards to Southern China, 



